A standout among Avatar: The Last Airbender's best installments gets an exclusive Magic: The Gathering special card drop.
Usually, recap episodes are loathed among audiences as an unnecessary time filler, or sometimes accepted as a requirement for series in the age of regular broadcasts. However, this wasn't true, though Avatar: The Last Airbender showed it with "The Ember Island Players," a beloved installment in its last season that is now receiving a special Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair collection.
Details of the collector's edition
The entire Secret Lair superdrop for the soon-to-release Avatar: The Last Airbender set was unveiled recently. Containing five separate collections, and while the one called "My Cabbages!" is clearly amusing nod to the series' most famous minor character, the remaining sets seem somewhat lacking creativity, with one notable exception: "The Ember Island Players."
Based on installment 17 in the final season of the animated show, this collector's drop features these particular cards:
- 1x Phantasmal Image represented as "Absolutely Accurate Actor"
- 1x Braid of Fire
- 1x Cursed Mirror
- 1x Mask of Memory
- 1x Thespian's Stage
The reason this segment remains memorable
Audiences of the show fondly remember this particular episode, which acted as a summary of the protagonist Aang and the group's adventure leading up to the conclusion. Different from typical clip shows, or retrospective segments, "The Ember Island Players" did not stem due to production constraints or scheduling problems. The producers truly wanted to offer viewers a chance to reflect on the overall plot, yet they chose to approach it inventively.
Throughout the segment, the crew observe a play based on their journeys in a theater located on Ember Island, named The Boy in the Iceberg. The entire performance is factually incorrect, melodramatic, and overall hilarious. It works as it plays on the characters' views regarding their own identities, juxtaposing them with how the world (and especially the antagonist nation) views them. It has the right amount of introspective humor, and it becomes arguably the finest interpretation of the show released so far.
Appeal and cost
Regarding worth, this is a great Secret Lair for one simple reason: Braid of Fire. This card is valued between $20 and $40 on online marketplaces currently, while for $29.99 you can acquire the complete collection, or $39.99 for the foil version.
Magic's Avatar: The Last Airbender edition can be accessed for pre-release events starting November 14 and launches globally on Nov. 21.
